Zytronic Distributor Minato Electronics to Highlight Versatility of PCT

Zytronic’s Japanese distributor, Minato Electronics, will demonstrate the customisation capabilities of ZYBRID® Projected Capacitive Technology (PCT™) touch sensors at Finetech Japan, the world’s largest event for flat panel displays.

This year, the Finetech organisers, recognising the importance of touch functionality in modern user interfaces have created the Touch Panel Japan exhibition, a focused section of Finetech that provides a channel for Minato and Zytronic to present advanced projected capacitive products and discuss applications with customers.

Ultra-tough, drift-free ZYBRID touch sensors provide designers of touchscreen systems with the opportunity to incorporate innovative features such as direct screen-printing of borders and logos to deliver ergonomic and aesthetic advantages – without any compromise on performance. Minato will be showcasing a 22-inch touchscreen which will illustrate these features.

Visitors to the stand will be able to see how the combination of a smooth, pure glass-fronted, frameless construction and screen-printed features allows designers to fulfil modern styling demands and create elegant, smartphone-like touch interfaces, which are already proving to be hugely successful in the digital signage and kiosk industries.

ZYBRID is fully customisable and the recent introduction of Zytronic’s proprietary 64-channel off-glass controller allows support for touch sensitive screens with displays ranging in sizes from 5.5-inches to 82-inches. A 32-inch widescreen ZYBRID touchscreen will be on display demonstrating this larger screen capability and performance.

Unlike resistive, IR and surface-capacitive all PCT sensor designs have no front-face-active components. Instead, this unique technology comprises an array of microfine conductive tracks which, at 10 micron diameter, are barely visible on a powered display. These tracks form a capacitive XY sensing array that is encapsulated within a composite construction, the outer layer of which may be ordinary glass, acrylic or polycarbonate.

Because the active elements are behind the touch surface, direct contact with the user is avoided and as a result the touch displays are extremely well protected from any accidental or deliberate damage. In addition it is possible to seal PCT sensors into enclosures requiring very high levels such as IP67 or NEMA 4x, providing unparalleled resistance to moisture, dirt and chemicals. Thus, a PCT touchscreen is suitable for use in a wide range of environments, including outdoor, unsupervised environments and in all weather conditions, making it the ideal solution for applications such as vending machines, gaming, and public information kiosks.